Tour the coolest cockpits from your desk

AUBREY COHE, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By AUBREY COHEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Updated 1:00 pm, Monday, March 11, 2013

The cockpit of the Douglas A-1E Skyraider that Air Force Maj. Bernard Fisher on his Medal of Honor mission in March 1966. After Fisher's wingman, Maj. D. Wayne Myers, landed his damaged plane on a scarred and debris-strewn runway under enemy control, Fisher swooped out of an overcast sky and landed to rescue him.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of the Douglas A-1E Skyraider that Air Force Maj....

The cockpit of a Sikorsky MH-53M Pave Low helicopter.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of a Sikorsky MH-53M Pave Low helicopter.

The cockpit of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Bockscar," which dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Bockscar," which...

The cockpit of a Boeing C-17.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of a Boeing C-17.

The cockpit of a Lockheed EC-121D.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of a Lockheed EC-121D.

The cockpit of a Yokosuka MXY7-K1 Ohka Trainer.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of a Yokosuka MXY7-K1 Ohka Trainer.

The cockpit of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator.

The cockpit of a Northrop X-4 Bantam.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of a Northrop X-4 Bantam.

The cockpit of a Junkers Ju 88D.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of a Junkers Ju 88D.

The cockpit of a Kawanishi N1K2-Ja.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of a Kawanishi N1K2-Ja.

The cockpit of a F-22A Raptor.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

The cockpit of a F-22A Raptor.

Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero cockpit .
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero cockpit .

McDonnell Douglas F-4G Wild Weasel cockpit .
Photo: U.S. Air Force

McDonnell Douglas F-4G Wild Weasel cockpit .

The original U-2 spyplane cockpit, which used traditional dials and a large “driftsight” telescope to help the pilot see the landscape below.
Photo: U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.

The original U-2 spyplane cockpit, which used traditional dials and...

Ryan X-13 Vertijet cockpit.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Ryan X-13 Vertijet cockpit.

Northrop A-17A cockpit.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Northrop A-17A cockpit.

Cockpit of Boeing B-52D Stratofortress.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Cockpit of Boeing B-52D Stratofortress.

Douglas B-18 cockpit.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Douglas B-18 cockpit.

Rockwell International B-1A cockpit. Note the control sticks rather than the traditional bomber control wheel (yoke).
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Rockwell International B-1A cockpit. Note the control sticks rather...

Keystone B-6A cockpit.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Keystone B-6A cockpit.

Douglas A-20B cockpit, taken March 2, 1942, during a modification/test program showing installation of a torpedo director and firing switch.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Douglas A-20B cockpit, taken March 2, 1942, during a...

Cockpit of a Consolidated A-11, taken Jan. 4, 1934.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Cockpit of Curtiss A-3B, taken May 27, 1930. Note the center (primary) panel has water and oil temp, engine rpm, oil and gasoline pressure gauges. The air speed gauge is on the right side (secondary) panel.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Cockpit of Curtiss A-3B, taken May 27, 1930. Note the center...

Beech AT-10 cockpit.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Beech AT-10 cockpit.

Bell X-1B cockpit.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Bell X-1B cockpit.

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress cockpit.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress cockpit.

Boeing NKC-135A Airborne Laser Lab cockpit.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Boeing NKC-135A Airborne Laser Lab cockpit.

Bristol Beaufighter cockpit .
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Bristol Beaufighter cockpit .

Douglas C-47D cockpit.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Douglas C-47D cockpit.

Douglas VC-54C 'Sacred Cow' cockpit. This was once the presidential airplane.
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Douglas VC-54C 'Sacred Cow' cockpit. This was once the presidential...

Have you always wanted to know what it's like to sit in the cockpit of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, North American F-86 fighter or Lockheed SR-71 spyplane?

We can't help with that, but here's something pretty cool that you can do without leaving your desk.

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, in Dayton, Ohio, just added more than 20 high-definition panoramic cockpit images from some of its best-known aircraft to its virtual tour.

Viewers can pan and zoom around the cockpits and, for larger aircraft, check out other stations, such as the bombardier's seat in a Consolidated B-24D Liberator, the tail gunner's post of a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and the electronic systems bay of a Boeing B-1B Lancer.

"Not only are we able to preserve the integrity of the aircraft interiors, we are also able to showcase some of the more popular aircraft in each of the galleries in the main museum complex," project lead Bryan Carnes said in a news release. "Visitors can now see how aircraft design and technology have advanced through the years, beginning in World War I to those used in present day operations."

The museum released the photos last month as part of an app it developed with AeroCapture Images. The app is currently available for free download from the Apple iTunes store. Plans call for an Android version, along with additional photos.

Don't have the time or bandwidth to go through the big photos? Click through our gallery above to see cockpits through the decades.